This high-tech sprinkler aims to water plants with precision, but does it outdo a sloppy, low-tech sprayer?

SETTING UP A sprinkler can be a clumsy process—akin to tying your shoelaces while wearing mittens. You try to direct the spray to drench your lawn and some parched hydrangeas, and you end up soaking the driveway, the patio and, way too often, yourself, thanks to the sprinkler's crude controls.

But a new robotic version called the Droplet takes a more targeted approach. Instead of blanketing an area with a wide spray, the Droplet shoots tight, precisely aimed streams up to 30 feet away.